


They've Come to Bargain

by PurpleArrowzandLeather



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Cayde-6 Being Cayde-6 (Destiny), Gen, Hurt, Protective Cayde-6 (Destiny), Tevis and Shiro are awesome, We should have met Andal Brask, assorted Fallen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:22:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21905899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurpleArrowzandLeather/pseuds/PurpleArrowzandLeather
Summary: Our favorite pack of Hunters gets into trouble with the local Fallen and Andal is kidnapped to be used as a bargaining chip. It comes as no surprise that the pack is willing to pay the price to get him back.
Kudos: 25





	They've Come to Bargain

**Author's Note:**

> I own nothing.

Cayde is tense. 

He has been for a while now, but now he’s really starting to feel it. A Fallen den had managed to capture Andal, but to his surprise, they didn’t intend to kill him. All they wanted was leverage for supplies they’d deemed stolen by Andal’s pack. The new commander, Zavala, strictly prohibited the bargain, but Cayde has never been above breaking the rules when it’s for the best. 

Especially when it’s for Andal. For the man who has become his brother, there’s almost nothing he wouldn’t do. 

Fortunately for the Fallen, even if they killed Andal, his Ghost is with Cayde. 

Anything that threatens him threatens the rest of the pack as it is, so Cayde’s not about to let the Fallen make them into a target if he can help it. Unlike Zavala seems to think, they _will_ become a target if these Fallen don’t get what they want.

Cayde glances back to Tevis and Shiro, the other two just as nervous as he is. They don’t show it outwardly, but all of them can sense it in each other. 

Of course, it doesn’t help that they’re surrounded by Fallen while they’re being escorted into the heart of the den. The Fallen didn’t bind them, which is a really good sign they aren’t going to try to kill them. It’s a display of honor or trust... or something. If negotiations here go well, it may be possible for diplomacy later on.

The three of them are placed before an Archon, the members of the den chittering to each other and slinking back into the shadows at the presence of Guardians. The Archon stands, placing his scorch cannon on the ground next to his seat. It’s more like a mini-throne, but oh well. He towers over Cayde, looking down on him and scratching out something in Eliksni. To Cayde, it sounds like a question about their cache. 

“Where’s Andal?” Cayde answers, staring up at the Archon without fear. 

The Archon straightens, barking to a few captains to “bring the prisoner”. Within a couple of minutes, they’re dragging the bedraggled Hunter into the room. Andal is fighting them, pulling against the chains around his bruised wrists and letting Arc energy snap at anyone who gets behind his back. His armor is gone, leaving behind only the slim white undershirt he wears for warmth. Or... he would wear it for warmth if it wasn’t torn in some places and bloody in others. It’s actually hanging off of him, and considering it took two weeks to get someone to distract Zavala long enough for them to escape, it is sadly not a surprise. 

His lip is busted, obviously re-broken by the hasty gag tied around his head. Recent, but not too recent. There’s a bruise on his jaw, and it doesn’t look pretty. When he wrestles against one of his captors, he turns his head enough to allow them to catch a glimpse of a cut at his temple. 

The odd bit is that Andal hasn’t killed them all himself yet. Of course, trying to fight his way out of a den by himself wouldn't be a good plan. 

Cayde bristles, his hand drifting closer to his gun. The Archon catches the action, taking the chain from the Captains and dragging the ruffled Hunter to his knees. Andal glowers at him, struggling until he finally spots the three Hunters staring at him. 

Whatever he says is muffled by the gag. 

Cayde steps forward, crouching in front of his battered friend. He pulls the gag free, shaking his head as the human Hunter opens his mouth. Cayde pushes Andal’s hair back, taking a temperature reading. The Archon growls lowly, warning him to step back. 

The Exo has no such plans. “The deal was that I get your stuff out of lockup and you give us Andal in good health. Contrary to that deal, he’s injured and also sick along with that. If your next words aren’t an explanation, we may have to renegotiate our terms.” 

The Archon mutters something about the human being surly and uncooperative. It’s a relative translation considering Eliksni speech. 

Cayde scowls. “Not good enough. If you can’t hold up your end, then that means the honor of your ketch can’t be relied upon or even be considered legitimate.” 

The Archon lets out an angry cry and the members in the den all howl with him. Cayde stands his ground, checking the long cuts behind the torn fabric of Andal’s shirt. There isn’t any sign of infection, but they’re clearly intentional. Andal winces as Cayde touches a light hand to a sizable bruise at his ribs, his breath hitching in his chest. 

Cayde looks at his friend. “Bruised or broken?” 

The Archon growls, a threat clear in his tone. 

All Andal has to do is look Cayde in the eye for Cayde to know the ribs are broken. If Cayde isn’t mistaken, the size of his pupils is due to a concussion. The Archon pulls on the chain keeping his hands behind him, jostling Andal’s shoulders and causing him to grimace. 

Cayde peels Andal’s shirt back from his right shoulder, realizing that it’s sweat-soaked as he peers at the dark bruises. He can practically feel the two Hunters behind him gearing up for a small war. 

The teal Exo stands. “Take the chains off. We’re leaving. You made the choice to either hurt him or let your subordinates do it for you. The deal is off.” 

The Archon fumes, shifting one of his many hands down onto Andal’s shoulder and squeezing. “Then... we kill him.” 

As a hostage, Andal has no choice but to take it, but he’s not going to be a hostage much longer. A small sound leaves his throat and Cayde pulls the Ace on his enemy. 

A battle cry is issued. 

Cayde ducks as wire rifles start to go off all around him, ordering Tevis and Shiro to get to work as he leaps on the Archon. They end up on the ground, Cayde pulling knives from his belt and aiming for his combatant’s neck. Andal is tossed aside as the Archon flails. Dizzy and disoriented due to the impact, he pushes himself back into a corner. He’d only get in the way otherwise. 

Before he really gets his bearings, Cayde is in front of him. “Turn a bit, pal. I’ll get those cuffs off you in no time.” 

Andal leans against the wall, hazily watching Cayde’s back. It’s hard to keep track of the fight, so he gives up trying after a full three seconds. Something pulls Cayde away from him, but he can't figure out what before he's back.

Cayde realizes he’s losing consciousness, tilting his chin up to get a look at his face. With a growl of frustration, Cayde tosses the chains aside and picks Andal up off the floor. Andal lets out a pained shout, but Cayde really doesn’t have much of a choice other than to get him out. He won’t risk Andal’s Ghost in here with all the Fallen. 

“Shiro, I’m taking Andal!” 

“Go, we’ve got this!” 

As Tevis casts his Shadowshot, Cayde happily notes that they do, in fact, have this. Very much so. On the upside, having to take out the ketch means none of this gets back to the Fallen. As much as they all would rather have gotten Andal and gotten out without issue, this does take out a potential threat. 

Once Cayde has Andal outside, he quickly looks around for anyone watching and then lets Reglan out to tend to his Guardian. Even all healed up, Andal is a bit spacey. 

Damn concussions. 

“Come on, buddy. You’re good.” 

Andal shakes his head, reaching out a hand towards him. “No, not really.” 

Cayde sighs, pressing a gun into his friend’s palm. “Stay.” 

The harried and previously-injured Hunter takes a shaking breath, clearly not doing so well. Cayde doesn’t want to leave him like this, but he also doesn’t want to leave Shiro and Tevis to fend for themselves. When comparing the options, it does kind of make more sense to stick around.

The decision to stay himself takes no time at all. 

“I’ll be right here, Andal. It’s all right.” 

“Shiro.... Tevis.” 

Cayde shakes his head, knowing he should have figured Andal would be thinking along the same lines as him. “I trust them to know what they can handle. They already said they had it and we both know they’ll call if they don’t.” 

If Cayde really looks at him, it seems as if Reglan’s healing did Andal more harm than good. He’s pale, on the verge of throwing up if Cayde’s reading him correctly. The Exo isn’t quite sure what he can do to help, but he settles next to Andal to give him someone to lean on. The sounds of the ongoing battle distract him from time to time, but there aren’t any shouts of distress. 

Andal pushes a hand up through his hair, groaning softly. 

“Stay with me, buddy.” 

“My skull is pounding.” 

Cayde wraps an arm around him, attempting to keep Andal quiet and avoid drawing attention. There could be snipers creeping around if they haven’t all been drawn inside already. 

After a long few minutes, the noise dies down and the compound grows quiet. Cayde leans forward, Andal shifting uncomfortably next to his side. He peers out of their hiding place, crawling out in a crouch. Andal makes a low inquisitive sound, moving to follow despite his thrumming head. He almost falls over in the effort. 

The Exo turns. “Did you not hear me when I said stay?” 

Andal hums, the small sound noncommittal. 

“Of course, you didn’t.” 

Cayde ducks a little lower as he hears footsteps. Just to be cautious, he lets out a chirp that they’ve used in the past. A little reasonable paranoia goes a long way. 

He gets the responding chirp only moments later, sighing in relief as he helps Andal up. “All right, buddy. It’s over. Come on, Shiro and Tevis are waiting.” 

Andal lets Cayde walk him over to them, rubbing at his forehead. 

“So, we get back, what’s the first thing you want to do?” 

“I’m starving.” 

Cayde laughs, beckoning Tevis. “We need some aspirin and a sandwich, though not necessarily in that order. Andal’s brain is apparently trying to leap out of his skull and his stomach is shriveling into an acorn.” 

Tevis smirks. “Is it now?” He summons his Ghost, Angie, to his palm, asking her for his supply of jerky. “Let’s get some food in you before we go for painkillers, okay?” 

Andal slides down against a hunk of metal nearby. It’s unbelievable the amount of junk the Fallen collect, but it does make for a handy backrest. “Whatever means I’m getting food.” 

Cayde leaves them to get Andal taken care of, wandering down into the Fallen hideout again to search for his friend’s armor. He doubts they got rid of it considering the Fallen never get rid of anything. They’re more likely to have hung it on a wall somewhere or stuffed it in a pile. So, he looks anywhere he can think of for Andal’s armor. Anywhere that isn’t a place for walking is packed with supply bins, which leaves plenty of places to look. 

He finds the armor down by what must serve as cells. The pieces are tossed to the side of the chamber, out of Andal’s reach but still close enough for him to get an eyeful every time he even looked outside. His weapons are gone, probably in a stockpile somewhere. 

“Cayde?” 

He turns, seeing Andal leaning against the wall behind him for support. 

“What are you doing down here?” 

“I could ask you the same thing. I thought you were resting up on the surface.” Cayde fixes him with a half-hearted glare. “You were supposed to be.” 

“Sorry to disappoint.” Andal hums. “So, what are you doing?” 

“Grabbing your stuff. What’s it look like I’m doing?” 

Andal huffs, but it’s good-natured. “Looks to me like you’re finding more reasons to hate the Fallen, but I’ve been wrong before.” He tilts his head as Cayde enters the small cell. “Am I?” 

Cayde slides his fingers over a patch of blood on the wall, his sensors picking it out as Andal’s. He would be more than willing to bet colliding with the wall was where Andal got the cut on his brow. Andal is still watching him, waiting patiently for an answer Cayde isn’t sure he can give. Of course, it’s possible he doesn’t want to give an answer because he’s knows Andal is right. 

“Want me to leave you alone with the blood stains, or....” 

The Exo’s hand clenches into a fist and he turns to Andal. “You don’t have to be so flippant. If they’d had your Ghost, we couldn’t have done a damn thing and you know it.” 

“They didn’t, and that’s all that matters.” 

Andal moves away from the wall to pull Cayde away from the cell, but instead the action only serves to make him stumble. Cayde lurches to keep him upright, putting his hands on the other man’s shoulders to steady him. 

“Take it easy. You don’t need to be moving like that.” 

Andal manages a weak smile. “Hasn’t been so bad since the aspirin. I got dizzy is all.” 

Cayde can’t help but wonder how much he had to take. 

The human Hunter shrugs. “Concussion may be healed, but my brain still definitely knows I hit my head.” 

Cayde leads him carefully back up towards the others, finding them munching on what’s left of the jerky. Tevis will stock up on more when they get back to the City. Shiro looks up when they get closer and Tevis soon notices that his attention has been drawn elsewhere. 

Shiro chuckles. “Was wondering how long he’d last. Old man’s gonna need a cane if he gets much worse.” 

Andal glares. “Ha. Ha. You’re hilarious.” 

Tevis lifts a brow, a smile in his voice even if there isn’t one on his face. “News to me.” He tosses Andal one of his knives. "Here. While you two were bickering, we found Andal's weapons in a cache by the front door."

Cayde makes a noise. “Can we just go home already? We need to get out of here and get some good food. I’m thinking ramen, but maybe that’s just me.” 

Andal smiles at him, shaking his head. “You’re always thinking ramen.” 

“You’ve got me there.” 

Shiro calls his jumpship, smiling an Exo’s smile at Deluca as the Ghost hovers above his palm. He’s very protective of the Ghost, some would probably say more than the average Guardian, but he’s had enough close calls to keep him on edge. 

With one last look back at the compound, Cayde calls it in. They won’t get in trouble, he doesn’t think. They were ordered not to make a deal with the Fallen, but Zavala never said they couldn’t go in and kill everyone. Thanks to the backstabbing tendency the Fallen have, they didn’t technically break any rules. 

Shiro glances at Tevis from the co-pilot's seat, eyeing the human with caution as he begins white-knuckling the controls. He knew Cayde’s tension died off the moment Andal was safe, but Tevis is another story. If the Void wasn’t so naturally cold, he would be the hothead of the group. 

Tevis grits his teeth, eyeing flicking his way. “What?” 

“Are you... okay?” 

When Tevis remains silent, it doesn’t take much for Shiro to figure out that the Void is whispering in his ear again. It also doesn’t take a genius to know it wants him to turn around and kill every last Fallen he can get his hands on. 

“Tevis.” 

He glances back at Andal, heaving a breath. “What?” 

“I can practically hear your wheels turning from back here, and I’m telling you I’m fine. There isn’t any unfinished business because you got 'em all already.” 

The reassurance helps ease Tevis’ worry, but the Void isn’t so easy to convince. 

Andal is simply grateful. Well, that, and starving, but he’s mostly grateful. He isn’t quite sure where he’d be without the pack, but he can guarantee it’d be somewhere much less happy. 


End file.
